Visit Bevagna! If you stay at Villa Bastiola, a day trip to visit Bevagna is highly recommended. Hopefully the photos below will speak for the beauty of Bevagna, a village in the heart of the Vale of Umbra dating back to Roman and medieval times (and before, to the ancient Umbri). The central piazza is […]
holiday rental Umbria
Monte Santa Maria Tiberina
Monte Santa Maria Tiberina has an incredibly long name for one of the tiniest hilltop towns in the Upper Tiber Valley! The photo to the left is taken from Villa Bastiola (holiday villa for rent in Umbria) and is the peak in the distance with the castle tower silhouetted against the skyline. It’s worth a […]
Montone
Visit Montone in Umbria! Montone is a gorgeous, medieval hilltop town, just 15 minutes drive from Villa Bastiola. Named one of the 100 most beautiful villages in Italy, you will discover why as you take a walk through this enchanting village. Unlike many of the other small villages in the area, Montone’s medieval history is […]
Gubbio
Gubbio is 30 minutes drive to the east of Villa Bastiola and is well worth a day trip. Steeped in history, this Umbrian town is incredibly old and you can see signs of its Umbri, Roman and medieval history as you walk through the town. Called Ikuvium, it was home to the ancient Umbri (around […]
Citta di Castello
Citta’ di Castello is a thriving market town in the north of Umbria, in an area known as the Upper Tiber Valley. Founded by Umbri tribes, the Romans called it Tifernum Tiberinum or Civitas Tiberina (City on the Tiber) which is the river that flows across Italy and down to Rome. During the medieval times, the […]
Vineyards in the Vale of Umbra
So many people have heard of the famous Tuscan wines and super-reds like Chianti Classico DOC, Tignanello and Sassicaia but not so many know of the wonderful Umbrian wines that rival these in quality and taste. A day trip down to the Vale of Umbra (about 45 minutes drive from Villa Bastiola) is worth doing, […]
Voted “most comfortable beds in Italy”!
Just reading back through the guest book for Villa Bastiola, I was delighted by a comment from guests saying that the beds at the villa are the “most comfortable in Italy”! Writing the website, a lot of time goes into making sure that the correct keywords are there for google to pick up like “Villa”, […]
My favourite things… part 2…
Just as Umbria has gorgeous hand-painted pottery, so it has beautiful linens and none more so than the stunning range in Busatti, master linen makers since 1797. The flagship store is in Anghiari, a beautiful medieval hilltop town, just over the border in Tuscany, about 30 minutes drive from Villa Bastiola. I first visited the […]
My favourite things to do in Umbria…
I thought I would start a series of posts about the things that I loved to do when I was living at Villa Bastiola in Umbria. There’s so many it’s hard to know where to start. Just enjoying the culture, the history, the traditions, the food, the wine… It’s endless. But maybe you didn’t know […]
Infiorata at Spello – 28th & 29th May 2016
Spello is truly one of Umbria’s most lovely gems! Nestling away on the hillside between Assisi and Spoleto, it is an enchanting hilltop town with a wealth of history. See medieval walls, Roman archways, renaissance painting and enjoy the cafes, ice cream parlours and restaurants that this little town has to offer. During May and […]